The Thin Blue (Mindful) Line: Preliminary Insights into Mindfulness, and Stress in Australian Policing.
Tracks
Monarch Room - In Person Only
| Tuesday, March 3, 2026 |
| 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM |
| Monarch Room |
Overview
Jennifer Gaskin, James Cook University
Details
Three Key Learnings:
Preliminary findings suggest mindfulness may support police mental wellbeing when applied contextually, but its benefits and risks require critical evaluation. Collaborative partnerships between researchers and police organisations are essential to co-design safe, relevant, and evidence-informed mental health strategies. Integrating lived experience with empirical research can help bridge the gap between frontline realities and mental health reform, with leadership emerging as a key area for future exploration.
Preliminary findings suggest mindfulness may support police mental wellbeing when applied contextually, but its benefits and risks require critical evaluation. Collaborative partnerships between researchers and police organisations are essential to co-design safe, relevant, and evidence-informed mental health strategies. Integrating lived experience with empirical research can help bridge the gap between frontline realities and mental health reform, with leadership emerging as a key area for future exploration.
Speaker
Ms Jennifer Gaskin
PhD Candidate / Researcher
James Cook University
The Thin Blue (Mindful) Line: Preliminary Insights into Mindfulness, and Stress in Australian Policing
Presentation Overview
Policing is demanding work, marked by cumulative exposure to trauma, moral injury, and chronic operational and organisational stressors. These stressors are strongly linked to negative outcomes in mental health, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleep disturbances in police.
Drawing on a comprehensive review of global research and survey data from Australian police officers, this presentation explores stress, mental health, and the role of mindfulness in policing contexts. Early findings and preliminary insights will be discussed, with attention to both statistical trends and lived experience.
Rather than assuming a universal benefit, this research critically examines where, how, and for whom mindfulness may be most effective.
Looking ahead, this research advocates for stronger partnerships between researchers and police organisations to co-create evidence-informed, context-sensitive mental health strategies. It also calls for more extensive evaluations of the safety profile of mindfulness-based programs in law enforcement settings, and the potential for mindfulness to be positioned as one lever for supporting not only frontline officers, but also those in leadership roles.
By highlighting both the promise and limitations of mindfulness in policing, this research offers actionable insights for policy makers, clinical practitioners, organisational leaders, and police officers themselves.
Jennifer Gaskin brings a unique perspective to this work, informed by her personal experience including life as a daughter and partner of former police, as well as her professional roles across police, court, and correctional settings. Her approach integrates lived experience with empirical evidence, aiming to bridge the gap between research, translation, and practice. The research contributes to a growing body of literature advocating for proactive, compassionate mental health support in high-stress professions.
Drawing on a comprehensive review of global research and survey data from Australian police officers, this presentation explores stress, mental health, and the role of mindfulness in policing contexts. Early findings and preliminary insights will be discussed, with attention to both statistical trends and lived experience.
Rather than assuming a universal benefit, this research critically examines where, how, and for whom mindfulness may be most effective.
Looking ahead, this research advocates for stronger partnerships between researchers and police organisations to co-create evidence-informed, context-sensitive mental health strategies. It also calls for more extensive evaluations of the safety profile of mindfulness-based programs in law enforcement settings, and the potential for mindfulness to be positioned as one lever for supporting not only frontline officers, but also those in leadership roles.
By highlighting both the promise and limitations of mindfulness in policing, this research offers actionable insights for policy makers, clinical practitioners, organisational leaders, and police officers themselves.
Jennifer Gaskin brings a unique perspective to this work, informed by her personal experience including life as a daughter and partner of former police, as well as her professional roles across police, court, and correctional settings. Her approach integrates lived experience with empirical evidence, aiming to bridge the gap between research, translation, and practice. The research contributes to a growing body of literature advocating for proactive, compassionate mental health support in high-stress professions.
Biography
Jennifer Gaskin is a PhD candidate and researcher at James Cook University whose doctoral research is exploring the intersections of stress, mental health, and mindfulness in policing contexts. She brings extensive experience from across the Australian criminal justice system, having worked in police, court, and correctional settings. Jennifer has worked as a provisional psychologist, specialising in trauma-informed care, and mental health assessment, and is a certified Mindfulness Facilitator, certified by Brown University. Jennifer is deeply invested in advancing the wellbeing of individuals in high-stress professions, drawing on research and lived experience to inform compassionate, evidence-based strategies.
